Sharapova Ousts Venus

A `Tired' Venus Williams Is No Match For Maria Sharapova In The Nasdaq-100.

April 1, 2005|By Charles Bricker, Miami Bureau

KEY BISCAYNE -- It was one of Maria Sharapova's great serving performances of the year and one of Venus Williams' most ineffectual excuses of the year.

"The first problem for me was just I was so tired today. I don't know why. I'm usually not tired. I was just so tired," Williams repeated herself after Sharapova, never broken in this one hour and 17-minute semifinal, blasted to a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the semifinals of the Nasdaq-100 open.

Sharapova stifled a laugh when she was apprised of Williams' "fatigue," then chose diplomacy over outrage.

"I'll just say I thought I played really well. I was in control for most of the match and I was serving really well, and getting a lot of advantage from them."

If Williams had dead legs, there was no sign of it on court. She ran hard and competed at a high level. It would be closer to the truth to say she was ultimately crushed by two factors -- Sharapova's serving and her own wayward forehand.

It's a shot that has routinely disappeared from Venus' repertoire in big matches over the years, though two nights earlier, in a triumph over her sister, Serena, her forehand had never seemed more lethal against a top-10 player.

One match later, it was once again on the fritz.

And so Sharapova extends her record for the year to 22-2 and reaches her third final, having won titles at both Tokyo and Doha.

On serve, she was in control over the vast majority of points. "When you're dictating, I guess the person's always going to be on the run," she said.